


Just Moirails

by traceExcalibur



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/F, Ladystuck 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-07
Updated: 2014-01-07
Packaged: 2018-01-07 20:07:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1123864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traceExcalibur/pseuds/traceExcalibur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the death of her mother, Kanaya goes on a trip to visit Vriska. Deep down, she hopes that their relationship can become a deeper hue of red; unbeknownst to her, Vriska is planning to make that same hope a reality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Moirails

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gloatingraccoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gloatingraccoon/gifts).



> to my recipient: I hope you're okay with the opening! I know the prompt didn't say anything about Kanaya's relationship with her mom, but that's where the flow of my brainstorming and writing took me. the rest of it, I hope, is sufficiently sweet Kanaya/Vriska!

Kanaya Maryam sat in her block, listening to the hum of the sewing machine as she worked on a dress. It was no ordinary dress – it was a dress requested by her friend and moirail Vriska Serket. The piece had a sort of neo-gothic flair that would complement Vriska's personality well, and it came replete with a cape attachment. Looking over the sketch Vriska had sent, Kanaya could not help but be reminded of her favourite book series, Daybreak – the design was remarkably similar to the outfit worn by the protagonist, Troll Edward Cullen. It was just a coincidence, she supposed, but it made the outfit that much more fun to work on.

Her mother fluttered nearby, feet clacking along a shelf as she searched for a new book to read. Every now and then she would turn to look at the light and buzz toward it before catching herself, and turning back around before she bumped into it. On occasion, she would fail, and quickly apologize before righting the lamp. Kanaya had never quite understood that particular idiosyncrasy, but found it rather charming.

"How is it coming along, honey?" Her mother asked. "It looks beautiful."

"Thank you. Were it not for my modest disposition I would consider calling it one of my best. I hope Vriska likes it." At that, a thought suddenly occurred to her – wishful thinking, she was sure, and yet she was on the verge of voicing it. "Do you think...? No..."

Her mother turned to look at her. "Do I think what? Go on, speak up."

"Do you think she likes... me? I mean, _like_ likes me. In a romantically oriented fashion."

Her mother clicked and tilted her head, frowning. "Of course she does, sweetie. You're her moirail, aren't you?"

"Well, I'm supposed to be. I think I do less pacifying than is requisite of my role. She's... hard to restrain, sometimes. But I digress – I mean, before now she was never really all that fashion-minded, except for her FLARP campaigns. Her request for a dress seems out of character. So do you think she likes me in a... a flushed manner? Is that why she wanted me to design a dress?

"Oh," her mother said, and it had that teasing sort of lilt to it, the kind that made Kanaya want to burrow underground and hide away in embarrassment. "Do _you_ like her in a flushed manner, dear? It's alright, you can tell me."

Kanaya couldn't force herself to answer, choosing instead to redouble her efforts and ensure the seams on her dress were aligned properly. Her silence, she knew, was answer enough, and her mother soon ceased her fussing, turned around, and crashed into the light again.

 

* * *

 

It was only a week later when everything went wrong. Kanaya's mother had been less energetic of late – Kanaya had been unsurprised by that, as she knew full well that she was getting on in years, and a virgin mother grub simply could not last as long as an active one – but Kanaya had somehow always believed that she would still be around at least for her teenage years. She had never expected that her mother would, so soon, come plummeting out of the sky during a routine flight and lay motionless on the ground.

She had been trimming her topiaries when it happened. Nearly falling off the ladder, she raced towards her mother as soon as possible, and found her still breathing. Her mother's wings fluttered weakly, but she was not strong enough to lift herself off the ground.

"Mom! Mom, are you okay?"

Her mother smiled apologetically. "Well, what do you know... something must have given way in my wings. I suppose it's almost my time."

"What? No, no, you can't... no, it's not..." The realization sank in slowly, horribly. Kanaya felt a lurch in her stomach, as though it had dropped away to leave only a burning hole in its wake. "Mom, you have to get up! We can fix you. We have to!"

"We can't," she said, and though Kanaya knew it was true it stung her to hear it. "I'm so, so sorry... I should have told you sooner, but I thought I could hang on a little longer..."

"Mom, no, don't say that—"

"But you'll be fine, dear. You're a strong girl. I know you can take care of yourself without me."

Could she? "But who will give me advice? Who will I confide in?"

"You have plenty of others to confide in," her mother insisted. "Vriska, and... who were the others? The sweet boy with the card games, and the angry fellow, and... why, you've even got an in with the Heiress, haven't you? You'll do just fine, I promise you."

"I know, it is just that... it's an awful lot of responsibility."

"And you're an awfully responsible girl."

They were silent for a while, the two of them. Kanaya tried her best to keep the tears from flowing in front of her mother, to remind herself that this had always been inevitable, that she would be able to carry on alone. Perhaps her mother noticed the unevenness of her breath, or the way her body shook, because she offered her an out.

"Could you go get me some water, dear? I'm awfully thirsty."

Kanaya nodded and ran back to the hive. By the time she reached the door, she was already crying.

 

* * *

 

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] began trolling  arachnidsGrip [AG]

GA: Vriska

GA: Are You There

GA: Please Respond

AG: Yeah, I'm here.

AG: What's all the fuss a8out? Don't tell me Eridan has 8een nagging at you to 8e our go-8etween again.

AG: How many times do I have to tell him it's OVER 8efore it sinks in????????

GA: No Its Not That Its Just

GA: Theres Been A Family Emergency Of Sorts

GA: I Wont Be Able To Visit You As Quickly As We Had Hoped

AG: Oh, god dammit.

AG: Pro8lems upon pro8lems upon pro8lems!!!!!!!!

AG: Just my fucking luck, huh?

AG: Well, I hope that emergency of yours resolves itself, okay?

GA: Right

GA: Vriska

AG: Yeah?

GA: Never Mind

GA: Talk To You In A Bit

grimAuxiliatrix [GA] ceased trolling arachnidsGrip [AG]

AG: ::::\

 

* * *

 

The corpse was far too heavy for her to give her mother a proper funeral. It was just as well – it was her duty to perform a necropsy, and retrieve the Matriorb that lay dormant within her mother's chest.

_It's a very rare object, sweetie. I know it will be hard, but you can't let it be lost – you never know when it might be needed._

Though she was used to chainsaw procedures, it still turned her stomach a little when she reached inside the cavity, blood still warm, and pulled out the orb. In a flash, it was captchalogued into her sylladex and the deed was done.

She considered heading back inside, but it didn't feel right to leave her mother there alone. The flowers that grew near her home were nothing special, but she supposed they would have to do. It took her hours to gather enough, stringing together a wreath of buds and blooms. Hands trembling, she laid it down on her mother's head, and stepped back. She decided that, if there was any consolation to be had, it was that her mother was peaceful and beautiful even in death.

 

* * *

 

She was all packed by the next day. Her sylladex had been stuffed full of clothing and rations for the journey, and she checked and double-checked that the dress had been tucked safely away in a card. Once she was finally satisfied, she exited the hive and made her way through the garden, towards the corpse that still lay there in the sun.

"I'm going now, mom."

She could practically hear her mother's response. After seven sweeps, her personality was deeply ingrained in Kanaya's mind.

_You've packed everything for the journey? Extra changes of underwear? Lots of water? A book or two for the road?_

"Yes, mom. I have everything. Weren't you the one who insisted I could fend for myself?"

_I know, but I can't help but worry... and your chainsaw, you have your chainsaw, right?_

She chuckled. Why did mom always need to ask that? "Yes, I have my chainsaw."

_Are you sure you don't need a bigger one?_

"It's perfectly big enough. I don't want it to be unwieldy.

_And the lipstick—_

"It compliments my fashion choices well."

_If you and Vriska end up in a different quadrant..._

Oh, here it was. "Mom."

_Listen, all I want to say is—_

"Mom, don't—"

_Make sure you bring a pail, just in c—_

"Mother!!"

_Sorry, sweetie. I know I'm embarrassing you. I'll be quiet, now._

It was almost as though her mother was still there, breathing down her neck. With a smile, Kanaya turned to leave, her footsteps carving a path through the sand. Just as she was about to clear a dune, her hive disappearing behind her, she turned back and took a deep breath.

"I love you, mom."

_I know, honey. I love you too._

 

* * *

 

The journey was long and arduous. Despite her diurnal nature, Kanaya was forced to travel mostly at night, to avoid the undead which roamed the land in the daytime. Even so, she had taken the heads of dozens by the time she finally arrived, exhausted, at the entrance to Vriska's hive.

The place was as large and towering as she remembered it, standing like a castle upon the edge of a great cliff. The front door too was as she remembered sporting an ornate knocker beside a doorbell, both decorated with a twining web pattern. She rang the bell and waited.

And waited.

And rang the bell again, and continued waiting.

After a few minutes passed with no response, Kanaya sighed. She was almost certain that the doorbell could not be heard in the upper floors of Vriska's cavernous hive. The design was absurd and inconvenient, and Kanaya's ire was only mitigated by the knowledge that Vriska had like all other trolls designed it when she was only a few sweeps old. Still, was Kanaya the only troll who had been born with a sense of design?

With no other recourse, she decided to take the back door, through the cave network beneath Vriska's hive. The cliffs were treacherous and oppressive, but there was at least a navigable path, winding down through them to reach the web at the bottom. There lay Vriska's lusus, a behemoth of a spider. Kanaya distinctly remembered once having a nightmare about Vriska's mother devouring her own. It hadn't been a very pleasant experience.

But Vriska's lusus was dozing, and it was easy enough to slip into the cave beneath Vriska's hive and ascend the stairs, which were not guarded by a single lock. Whenever questioned on it, Vriska put on a show of mock bravado and insisted it was only right her hive have an easy entrance; after all, if her vigilance was lax and someone got the drop on her, she deserved it. Kanaya would have complained that the girl was far too good at making enemies to insist on going without the lock, but then again, she was far too good at ensuring her foes never lived long enough to get revenge in the first place.

After reaching the top of the stairs, Kanaya found her quarry easily enough – Vriska was dozing in a chair in the sitting block, a novel crumped on the floor beneath next to her limp arm. It was only the third time Kanaya had visited Vriska in person, and she was still astounded by how beautiful she was. Her hair, tangled and messy though it was, framed her face well, and suited her chaotic personality. Her lips were full and the cerulean hue of her lipstick complemented her ashy skin well. Her chest pulsed slowly with every breath, far more peaceful than it ever was when she was awake.

Her ruminations starting to feel a little creepy, Kanaya announced her presence with a loud cough. Vriska's eyes shot open and she was on her feet in an instant, blue dice glinting between her fingers as she prepared for a fight. Once she recognized Kanaya, her stance softened and she pocketed the dice, though she still seemed a little edgy.

"Jesus, Kan! You can't just sneak up on a girl like that! If I'd dropped my dice I could have turned you into jadeblood puree. Literally!"

"Sorry," Kanaya said, bowing apologetically. "I couldn't resist the opportunity."

"Never thought you were that kind of troublemaker! Ha, but you've got a long way to go if you want to be a match for me, don't you?" Vriska slapped her playfully on the back, and it stung a little. The girl wasn't very good at keeping herself in check. "Well, come on! You must be exhausted after that journey, and I think the sun will be rising in a few hours. Not that it ever mattered to you, I guess."

Kanaya nodded, though hesitant to admit just how drowsy she was. "The sun isn't an inconvenience, but a tired mind is."

"Yeah, see? So, the guest block is in the same place as ever. You remember the way?"

"I do."

"Perfect! Sweet dreams, Fussyfangs!"

Vriska clapped her on the back again, almost pushing her out of the block. Kanaya found herself more than a little off-put by how quickly Vriska was moving. "But what about my gift, I should at least—"

"No, no, no. No no no no no! You need your rest, don't worry about it. We'll deal with all that in the evening, got it?"

Vriska was being nice. Something was definitely wrong.

"Vriska, is something wrong?"

Vriska flushed a light cerulean and gave Kanaya a shifty look. "What? No! I'm just being nice, the way a good host and moirail should! Would I ever give you cause to doubt me?"

"Yes."

"Okay, you got me. I, uh... totally forgot to clean the place up before you arrived, and I knew you would be in my hair, nagging and twisting and bugging me if I didn't do it, so I decided to get you out of my hair and take care of everything while you slept! Happy?"

Kanaya remained suspicious, but she was too tired to question the explanation. "I guess my fussing – er, _helping_ – is finally working. Normally, you would just ignore me."

"Yeah, you've really rubbed off on me," Vriska said, and Kanaya couldn't help but notice the hint of a blush on her cheeks. "Oh, but before I forget! The dress?"

Kanaya produced it from her sylladex and handed it over. "I hope you like it." Vriska started to pore over it, examining the dress in detail, and Kanaya found herself blushing this time.

"It's gorgeous!" Vriska said, finally. "A real stunner! Can't wait to try it on, but we'll save that for tomorrow, won't we?"

"Yes, I suppose we shall," Kanaya said, and she allowed Vriska to lead her to the guest block. Once Vriska bid her good day, she stripped herself down and clambered into the recuperacoon. Her mind was still heavy with thoughts of Vriska, and of her mother, but the soothing sopor washed over her skin and her worries started to slip away. _Everything will be fine,_ Kanaya told herself, and just as she drifted into sleep, she felt like it was true.

 

* * *

 

"Ooooh Kanaya, wake uuuupp..."

That evening, Kanaya awoke to the sound of Vriska's voice from the hallway, blinking as the sopor dripped from her eyes. Offering a non-committal grunt in response, she slowly hoisted herself out of the recuperacoon and towelled off, slipping into her usual outfit.

"Are you up yet, sleepyhorns? I have a surprise planned for you!"

That didn't sound good. After double-checking the mirror to ensure she looked fine, Kanaya offered up a "yes", and Vriska strode into the block.

She was wearing the dress Kanaya had sewn for her, as well as a pair of ridiculous-looking fake fangs which were almost twice the size of her natural ones. Her face was coated, sloppily, in what appeared to be bright white makeup.

"The lord of all rainbow drinkers, Edward Culling, hallowed creature of the light, slips into his prey's block in the middle of the day!" Vriska narrated, flaring her cape and stalking towards Kanaya.

Kanaya was left a little dumbfounded. "It's Cullen, not Culling, and that's not really how it—"

"Casting his seductive, mesmerizing gaze upon his target," Vriska continued, moving her hands toward Kanaya, "Edward Cull _en_ prepares to bring her into the folds of his drinker coven!"

Kanaya stepped back. "Is this why you had me make this dress? So... so you could stage this ridiculous roleplay, all to make fun of me and the literature I enjoy?"

"What?" Vriska's eyes narrowed, affronted. "No, I would never—"

Kanaya pushed her away, arms trembling and cheeks flaring a bright jade. "I spent all that time on the dress, came all the way out here, left my mother behind so you could embarrass me?!"

She was turning on her heel, about to stalk out when Vriska's hand caught her roughly on the shoulder and spun her around. She had expected anger, or perhaps some half-hearted excuse and apology, and instead was stunned to find Vriska's lips pressed firmly against her own, her eyes squeezed shut. Her mind entered panic mode immediately, heart racing and nerves aflame. It felt amazing, better than she could have ever dreamed – but something felt _wrong_ , and she wasn't ready, and her emotions and stomach were both churning and next she knew she was pushing Vriska away and running full-tilt through the hallway, looking for somewhere to hide. She flew through the door to an empty block and slammed it shut behind her, collapsing against the wall and trying to stem the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Why was she crying? Hadn't this been what she wanted all along? And yet she had panicked, uncertain of how to respond, and now here she was locked away from her friend and love. She found herself wishing, once again, that her mother was here to guide her. Instead, she was alone with her grief, and felt as though she needed a moirail more than ever – now, of all times to feel this way!

She knew she had to go back and talk to Vriska, and apologize to her. She knew, deep down, that Vriska hadn't been mocking her, that she had read the situation wrong. But she couldn't bring herself to stand up, couldn't bring herself to do anything other than cry. Her mother had trusted her to be mature and responsible, and she had dropped the ball spectacularly.

"Hey, Kanaya? Kanaya, where are you?!"

Vriska was nearby. As hesitant as she was to face her, Kanaya managed to say, hoarsely, "I'm in here."

Vriska opened the door and rushed inside, kneeling beside Kanaya. At the sight of the tears, she bit her lip and shook her head, worried.

"Listen, Kanaya. All that shit back there, I wasn't trying to upset you! Honest!"

Kanaya nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I overreacted. I'm sorry."

"No, fuck that, _I'm_ sorry! I should have known you weren't gonna... look, I really like you, okay? And I don't know, I just... wanted to do something big and flashy and cool, like in all those romance stories you read. I thought you would appreciate the grand gesture! But boy, I sure fucked that one up. Like always."

Kanaya shook her head, trying to fight off the blush creeping up her cheeks. "No, you didn't. I... I feel the same way." There it was, out in the open. Her cheeks were flaring a bright green, now, but she pressed onwards. "When you requested the dress, I was hoping for... something like this, I suppose, only less embarrassing and awkward. I should have been happy."

Vriska's bravado seemed to have vanished, the shock evident in her expression. Despite her self-confidence, it seemed she had been convinced Kanaya wouldn't return her affections. "Then... why...?"

"I just... I was unbalanced. I wanted to keep it a secret, to avoid ruining the mood, but... my mother passed away, just before I left."

"Oh, no... oh, for fuck's..." Vriska's face fell, and she was silent as she searched for the right words. "She... was a really cool mom."

"Yes, she was, wasn't she?" Kanaya stared off to the side. Even now, she was trying to hide her grief.

"Listen, fussyfangs. I'm so, so sorry. I should have been there for you, instead of coming up with some ridiculous costume scheme. Who even does that?"

Kanaya couldn't help but chuckle. "It's one of the things I like about you, actually. And perhaps if I had been forthright about my grief, you would have changed your plans. I was trying to swallow it all and act mature. I should have trusted you to understand."

"But I don't really do a lot of that, do I? Being understanding?"

"Well, no. Not really."

Vriska laughed ruefully and threw one of her dice at the wall. It bounced off with a clack and clattered to the ground. "Yeah, this was all a big mess. But I'll do better for you, I promise!" She turned back to Kanaya, and her expression was sincere. "I want to make you happy! It took me forever to figure it out, but... I love you! I really do."

Kanaya's voice caught in her throat and she couldn't muster up a response. Unsure how to take it, Vriska too was silent for a long while, staring at the ground with her face burning a deep blue shade. "...so, what now?"

Kanaya thought, for a moment, about what her mother would say. What kind of advice she would give. And then, she found her resolve, and knew how to answer. "Maybe we could try that kiss again. And do it right this time. That would be nice."

Nodding, Vriska leaned in awkwardly and puckered her lips. They nearly missed the first time, Kanaya nervously grazing the side of her lips, but the second time they made a clean connection. Their lips bumped together, and then parted just as quick as they had come. But Kanaya felt like she was floating on air, and quickly leaned in for another kiss, and then another, and Vriska's taste and scent were driving her wild, and she never wanted to let go, and next she knew an hour had passed and she was lying there against the wall, intertwined with Vriska, their hearts throbbing and faces flushed and breaths quick.

"Well, that makes us matesprits!" Vriska announced with a sort of triumph in her voice, as though it wasn't already self-evident.

Still, it took Kanaya some wrangling with her nervousness not to respond "I guess," and instead say, "Yeah. Matesprits."

Grinning, Vriska was about to plant another kiss on her when a roar sounded faintly in the distance. She sighed and tried to push herself up, but Kanaya was hesitant to move.

"That'll be my mom," Vriska said. "Gotta go placate her with some meat, you know how it is."

Kanaya sighed, too. "Can't you stay just a little longer?"

"Asking me to neglect my poor, hungry mother?" Vriska furrowed her brows and smirked. "Aren't you supposed to be a good influence on me, fussyfangs?"

"Well, I'm not your moirail anymore, am I?"

Raising an eyebrow, Vriska chuckled wryly and leaned in for another kiss.

"No. No, you're not."

 

* * *

 

**TWO SWEEPS LATER**

Contrary to her expectations, her teenage sweeps had been kind to Kanaya. Foraging for food had not been difficult, and she had been able to make a decent living selling her designs to what few like-minded trolls lived on the planet. Her garden was flourishing despite the arid climate near her hive, and though the display felt a little morbid, the largest and most beautiful plants were weaving and flowering around her mother's bones. The memory of her mother and her new relationship with Vriska had, combined, allowed her to move past her grief, and she couldn't be happier.

Vriska was, in fact, going to be living with her starting from tonight. Though there had been some turbulence for a while – and a brief black fling that Kanaya chalked up to teenage hormones – she knew that their romance was stronger than ever, and even felt that Vriska was her fated matesprit. Curled up in a chair with a rainbow drinker novella, Kanaya was feeling particularly romantic, and couldn't wait for Vriska to arrive.

"Hey, fussyfangs!"

Kanaya nearly jumped out of her skin, throwing herself off the chair with her book clattering to the floor. Vriska had climbed in through the window while she was distracted.

"Jesus, Vriska! You can't just sneak up on a girl like that."

"Only repaying the favour, babe." Vriska pecked her on the cheek and grinned, staring around Kanaya's room. "Glad I got the right hive, though. It would have been a real mess if I climbed through the wrong troll's window. But then, who else would live in a weird orb like this?"

"It is a pretty unique design," Kanaya admitted.

"Nice place, though! A vast improvement over that dreary fucking castle I grew up in. Why'd I ever build it like that? ...I guess I am gonna miss it, though. And mom, too."

Kanaya opened her arms sympathetically, and Vriska entered them, their lips pressing against one another. They shared the kiss for what felt like ages, and pulled back smiling.

"So, other than kissing hot chicks, what do you do for fun around here? Got anyone to play FLARP campaigns with? Any cool oases lying around in the desert?"

Kanaya shrugged. "I mostly just read books about adventures and oases."

"Of course, of course. But there's at least some ruins around here to explore, right? I know you said something about ruins!"

Kanaya nodded, but pursed her lips. "Isn't that a little dangerous?"

It elicited only a laugh. "What are you, my moirail?"

"No," Kanaya said, and threw her arms around Vriska again. "No, I'm not."


End file.
